There's no doubt that IndyCar has made tremendous strides in improving the safety of their sport with such innovations as safer barriers, tethered wheels and rear-end attenuators to control the massive forces unleashed when a car travelling in excess of 200 mph crashes. However, in the wake of the Dan Wheldon tragedy at Las Vegas Motors Speedway, series officials have to look themselves in the mirror and ask if they are doing enough. And that perhaps in the desire to provide a good show and build audience, IndyCar may have made decisions that endanger drivers and their crews.

Going back to the Louden, New Hampshire event on Aug. 14, race control decided on a restart over the objections of the drivers who were pleading not to take a green when it began raining again. The start was a disaster, with a huge pile-up. Officials decided to end the race and reset the finishing order to lap 215 giving the victory from Ryan Hunter-Reay to Oriol Servia, who led at the aborted restart. At Kentucky, drivers complained about the one-lane pit entrance and exit and sure enough, a series of pit lane incidents resulted in several crew members being hurt. Finally, at Las Vegas, drivers felt the field was too large (the 34 cars that started was one more than the traditional 33-car grid at Indy, which is a 2.5-mile oval with less banking) and the cars too fast around the 1.5-mile steeply banked oval. In trying to boost the audience for the race, IndyCar also put up a $5 million prize for a driver who didn't have a full series ride to come in and win the last race of the season. Indy 500 winner, Wheldon, who didn't have a full season ride, had taken up that challenge. Charging hard, he had moved up 10 places from last on the grid when the accident occurred. In interviews after the race, it was clear that many of the series regulars at that point in the race were taking the low line, which may have cost them places, but was safer than dicing in the heavy traffic on the higher lines. For the coming season, perhaps its time that IndyCar listen to its drivers about safety issues. Like another Scot, Jackie Stewart, who lead the drive for safety in Formula 1, who better to push these concerns than IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti?